Complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the humphead wrasse, Cheilinus undulatus.

The humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus) is a large coral fish that has become threatened due to habitat loss and fishing pressure. We sequenced the mitochondrial genome of C. undulatus, using a normal PCR method. The complete mtDNA sequence encoded 13 protein genes, 22 tRNA genes and 2 rRNA genes. It was found to be 16,613 bp in length and had an overall H-strand base compositions of 27.3 for A, 30.9 for C, 16.8 for G, and 25.0% for T. Compared with the sequences of 8 other members of the family Labridae, gene content, genome organization, and nucleotide compositions were similar. All tRNAs formed a typical clover-leaf structure, except tRNA(Ser) (AGY), and most of the size variations among tRNAs stemmed from variations of length in the arm and loop of TΨ, and loop of DHU.